Jerry Jones is never afraid of seeing his name in the headlines. He may have even outdone himself Thursday though, sending superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers for two-first round picks and Kenny Clark after a trade request and a contract dispute between Parsons's camp and the Cowboys.
This isn't the first time Jones has made a massive trade that changed the landscape of the league, as he quickly pointed out while addressing the media Thursday evening after the blockbuster deal.
"I want to be sure that our fans understand that I think a lot of Micah," Jones said while addressing the trade Thursday evening. "And I wish him so much success. I don't want him to have success when he plays the Cowboys much as I do want him to have overall success. But Micah Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years.
"And a little bit of the way Herschel Walker may have had his greatest contribution to the Cowboys, what he brought to us when he left could be a tremendous thing for our fans and the success of this team."
Sure, Parsons and Walker are comparable in their star status at their respective positions. But the haul the Cowboys received for Walker vastly outweighs what they received from the Packers for Parsons.
Let's lay out both deals:
Cowboys Receive Packers Receive
Kenny Clark Micah Parsons
2026 first-round pick
2027 first-round pick
It's important to note that the Cowboys decided to waive, cut or trade all players they received from the Vikings in the deal in order to acquire additional draft capital.
Cowboys Receive Vikings Receive Chargers Receive
LB Jesse Solomon RB Herschel Walker RB Darrin Nelson
LB David Howard 1990 third-round pick
CB Issiac Holt 1990 fifth-round pick (via Chargers)
DE Alex Stewart 1990 10th-round pick
1990 first-round pick 1991 third-round pick
1990 second-round pick
1990 sixth-round pick
1991 first-round pick (conditional on cutting Solomon)
1991 second-round pick (conditional on cutting Howard)
1992 first-round pick (conditional on cutting Holt)
1992 second-round pick (conditional on trading Nelson)
1992 third-round pick (conditional on cutting Stewart)
Does one of those deals seem more lopsided than the other? It should.
The Cowboys were one of the worst teams in the league prior to the Walker trade, and acquired all of the Vikings' top-end draft capital for the next three years in exchange for the top running back. Sure, Dallas acquired Green Bay's best two draft assets over the next two years and a three-time Pro Bowler in Kenny Clark for Parsons, but the sheer volume of picks doesn't compare. Don't tell that to Jones though, as he is already thinking of using the Cowboys' chest of first-round picks to potentially go and get another player.
We'll see how the deal nets out for the Cowboys in a couple years, or potentially sooner if they trade their new draft picks for a veteran, although an unlikely outcome. But hey, if Jones's comparison is correct, Dallas could end up with their new franchise player in the deal.
In 1990, the Cowboys used the first- and second-round picks from the Vikings to move up and select their next legendary rusher: Emmitt Smith.
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